UCL open environment最新文献

{"title":"Evaluating the effectiveness of behavioural nudges in reducing energy consumption in student accommodation: a quasi-experimental approach.","authors":"Youjing Chen, Lorenzo Lotti","doi":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3412","DOIUrl":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3412","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper investigates the application of nudge theory to reduce utility consumption within student accommodation, specifically focusing on the effectiveness of informational and competition-based nudges. With the pressing challenge of climate change and the significant contribution of the building sector to global energy use, finding innovative, cost-effective strategies to promote sustainable behaviour is critical. This study employs a quasi-experimental design across six buildings divided into four groups: Control, Information-only, Competition Without Prizes and Competition With Prizes. The research aims to explore the differential effects of informational feedback and competition, with and without prizes, on energy consumption. The study utilises a longitudinal approach, examining energy usage across multiple years to control for external factors such as occupancy fluctuations and seasonal effects. Results reveal that the informational nudge, contrary to expectations, increased energy consumption in certain accommodation, possibly due to rebound effects or moral licensing. Meanwhile, the competition without prizes nudge effectively reduced energy usage, highlighting the power of intrinsic motivation and social comparison. However, the competition with prizes nudge showed no significant effect, suggesting that extrinsic rewards might undermine the intrinsic motivation to save energy. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on behavioural change interventions in residential settings, particularly within transient and dense environments such as student accommodation. The findings underscore the need for nuanced, well-designed nudges that account for behavioural dynamics and suggest that low-cost strategies which utilise intrinsic motivators may be more effective than those that provide extrinsic rewards in fostering sustainable habits in student accommodation. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of robust communication strategies to enhance the efficacy of behavioural interventions in reducing energy consumption.</p>","PeriodicalId":75271,"journal":{"name":"UCL open environment","volume":"7 ","pages":"e3412"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12455435/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145139334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimising a MALDI-TOF MS database for the detection of xerophilic fungi across environments.","authors":"Christopher Campion, Victor Carp Kofoed, Jeppe Lund Nielsen, Anne Mette Madsen","doi":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3244","DOIUrl":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3244","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Xerophilic fungi can proliferate in dry conditions and have been detected in cultural heritage sites and libraries. To protect the staff from fungal exposure and ensure the preservation of heritage collections, research must be focused on improving detection protocols for xerophilic fungi. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry provides a strong method for the identification of fungi; however, this is dependent on the reference database. The aim of this study was to investigate whether it is possible to develop a supplementary matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry database of xerophilic/xerotolerant <i>Aspergillus</i> species. The database is intended to complement the current Bruker library; for this 19 <i>Aspergillus</i> species grown in four different broth media were included. The database was evaluated on samples from domestic homes, a museum and a warehouse. It was possible to create a database with mass spectra from the 19 species. For some species, it was possible to generate mass spectra from the four tested broth media, while other species required specific media and extended incubation time. Isolates from environmental samples identified by the Bruker fungi library were not misidentified by the supplementary database while some previously unidentified isolates (<i>Aspergillus conicus</i>, <i>Aspergillus domesticus</i>, <i>Aspergillus glabribes</i> and <i>Aspergillus pseudogracilis</i>) could be identified. Using low water-activity agar media had a profound effect on detection of these xerophilic/xerotolerant <i>Aspergillus</i> species. This work shows that it is possible to develop a supplementary matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry database for the identification of xerophilic/xerotolerant <i>Aspergillus</i> species, and that low-water activity broth media are recommended for the construction of a database and the following application.</p>","PeriodicalId":75271,"journal":{"name":"UCL open environment","volume":"7 ","pages":"e3244"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12344496/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144850064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Student perspectives on climate change and sustainability education in England: experiences and expectations.","authors":"Nicola Walshe, Joy Perry, Grace Healy","doi":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3341","DOIUrl":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3341","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper presents findings from a large-scale survey of 2429 students in Years 7-9 (ages 11-14) in England, exploring their experiences and expectations of climate change and sustainability education. The study reveals that while most students learn about climate change and sustainability in school, primarily through geography and science lessons, there is a desire for a more comprehensive and engaging approach. Students express a strong interest in learning about the future impacts of climate change, practical solutions and global perspectives. They emphasise the importance of outdoor learning, hands-on activities and opportunities for meaningful participation in school and community initiatives. The findings highlight the need for climate change and sustainability education to be embedded across the school curriculum, to provide opportunities for outdoor learning, and to nurture student agency. Explored within a framework of children's rights to education and wellbeing and respective inequalities, this research provides valuable insights for stakeholders seeking to improve climate change and sustainability education and empower young people to address the climate and environmental crisis.</p>","PeriodicalId":75271,"journal":{"name":"UCL open environment","volume":"7 ","pages":"e3341"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12257304/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144638799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physical vulnerability of buildings to flooding in Lilongwe City, Malawi.","authors":"Chresceuntia Matambo Msasa, Mtafu A Z Chinguwa Manda","doi":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3216","DOIUrl":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3216","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research on flood vulnerability has mainly focussed on social, economic and human vulnerability and the few studies that have attempted to analyse the physical vulnerability of buildings to natural hazards (seismicity and floods) have been done at the subnational spatial scale resulting in generalised vulnerability outcomes. Additionally, most of the studies used models to analyse vulnerability which are known for uncertainties in the results. This study investigated the physical vulnerability of buildings to flooding in low-income settlements of Biwi and Kawale 1 in Malawi's capital city, Lilongwe. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 20 was used for descriptive statistics frequency, cross-tabulation and chi-square analysis to correlate exposure factors and the physical vulnerability of buildings. The study found that exposure factors variably influenced the physical vulnerability of individual building types, and that building typology and floodwater depth were important factors. Irrespective of their location, buildings constructed using fired bricks with cement mortar walls and cement floors had low vulnerability while buildings constructed using fired bricks in mud mortar walls and cement floors had high vulnerability. Buildings with protective measures such as high foundations had low vulnerability. The chi-square correlation test showed that the physical vulnerability was influenced by building typologies and floodwater level with a significance value of 0.001 (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and 0.004 (<i>p</i> < 0.005), respectively. Rather than urban planners and disaster management officials emphasising stream reserves as a preventive measure, advocating for the construction of buildings using flood-resistant materials and with high enough foundations in flood-prone areas should be considered central to urban flood risk reduction. Flood vulnerability studies should be conducted in other flood-prone cities of Malawi to support effective citywide urban planning and disaster risk management.</p>","PeriodicalId":75271,"journal":{"name":"UCL open environment","volume":"7 ","pages":"e3216"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12207978/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144531530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using hyperspectral imaging and machine learning to identify food-contaminated compostable and recyclable plastics.","authors":"Nutcha Taneepanichskul, Helen C Hailes, Mark Miodownik","doi":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3237","DOIUrl":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3237","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the increasing public legislation aimed at reducing plastic pollution, compostable plastics have emerged as an alternative to conventional plastics for some food packaging and food service items. However, the true value of compostable plastics can only be realised if they do not enter the environment as contaminants but instead are processed along with food waste using industrial composting facilities. Distinguishing compostable plastics from other plastics in this waste stream is an outstanding problem. Currently, near-infrared technology is widely used to identify polymers, but it falls short in distinguishing plastics contaminated with food waste. This study investigates the application of hyperspectral imaging to address this challenge, enhancing the detection and sorting of contaminated compostable plastics. By combining hyperspectral imaging with various machine learning algorithms we show it is possible to accurately identify and classify plastic packaging with food waste contamination, achieving up to 99% accuracy. The study also measures the impact of plastic features such as darkness, size and level of contamination on model performance, with darkness having the most significant impact. The developed machine learning model can detect plastic with higher levels of contamination more accurately compared to our previous study. Implementing hyperspectral imaging in waste management systems can significantly increase composting and recycling rates, and improve the quality of recycled products. This advanced approach supports the circular economy by ensuring that both compostable and recyclable plastics are effectively processed and recycled, minimising environmental impact.</p>","PeriodicalId":75271,"journal":{"name":"UCL open environment","volume":"7 ","pages":"e3237"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12207977/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144531531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing the financial, energy and time costs of different food and stove combinations in Nairobi using controlled cooking tests and longitudinal fuel price data.","authors":"Tash Perros, Mark O'Keefe, James Mwitari, Lewis Gichane, Elisa Puzzolo, Daniel Pope","doi":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3034","DOIUrl":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3034","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With a wide range of stoves and appliances available in the ever-evolving Kenyan cooking market, it is important to understand which options are the most cost, time and energy efficient to use. This information can help households to make more informed decisions about their energy use and policy makers to better understand which solutions to promote. Despite its importance, the existing literature offers scant evidence to guide optimal stove and fuel choices. In this research, we utilised controlled cooking tests to investigate the fuel required to cook six regularly prepared dishes on 10 prevalent stove and fuel combinations (including liquified petroleum gas, ethanol, charcoal, kerosene and electric appliances). We also tested the efficiency improvements from pre-soaking beans and using stovetop pressure cookers. We collected primary fuel cost data from across Nairobi in June 2023 and collated historical fuel prices from secondary sources spanning 2019-2023. The prices of liquified petroleum gas, charcoal and kerosene varied considerably by variables such as brand and location, whereas ethanol and on-grid electricity were more stable. The electric pressure cooker was the most cost- and energy-efficient device. For liquified petroleum gas and charcoal, combining pre-soaking beans with a pressure cooker substantially reduced fuel consumption, but was still costlier than the electric pressure cooker. The longitudinal comparison highlighted the dynamic nature of fuel prices in Kenya and how a household's cost-optimal cooking stack can change at short notice. These findings demonstrate how comparative affordability varies both temporally and spatially and can be heavily affected by wider market and policy incentives.</p>","PeriodicalId":75271,"journal":{"name":"UCL open environment","volume":"7 ","pages":"e3034"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11966389/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143782135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Procedural justice and (in)equitable participation in climate negotiations.","authors":"Carola Klöck, Christian Baatz, Nils Wendler","doi":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Formally, state parties are equal in all United Nations negotiations. In theory, every state, regardless of its size, economic or political power, has the same opportunities and rights to participate. Nevertheless, United Nations negotiations, such as those on climate, are often considered highly unequal in practice. Many states struggle to meaningfully engage in complex and highly technical multilateral negotiations, including because their delegations are smaller. Here we examine delegation size in United Nations climate negotiations through a procedural justice lens. Starting from normative principles of procedural justice, we argue that equitable negotiations demand the capability of all parties to send a <i>sufficient</i> number of delegates - around 15. Using descriptive analysis of data on delegation sizes of recent Conferences of the Parties, we then highlight that many parties in practice send smaller delegations. Based on these results, we suggest two routes for making climate negotiations more equitable: (i) providing additional resources to poor states to increase their delegation size; and (ii) trimming the overall negotiation agenda to lower the sufficiency threshold.</p>","PeriodicalId":75271,"journal":{"name":"UCL open environment","volume":"7 ","pages":"e3116"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11822920/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143416374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Miniaturisation of the <i>Daphnia magna</i> immobilisation assay for the reliable testing of low volume samples.","authors":"Eberhard Küster, George Gyan Addo, Silke Aulhorn, Dana Kühnel","doi":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3037","DOIUrl":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>International standard test guidelines for the ecotoxicological characterisation of various substances use organisms such as algae, daphnids and fish embryos. These guidelines recommend or use relatively high volumes of water for the process of testing, for example, 200 mL for a complete dose-response relationship in a daphnia assay. However, for various samples such as concentrated extracts from environmental monitoring or leachates from microplastic ageing experiments, the amount of available sample volume is limited, that is, rather in the range of 10-50 mL/biotest. Using the exposure volumes as recommended in test guidelines would not allow to test a range of different concentrations or to repeat tests or use multiple different organismic bioassays. Lower media volumes would allow the testing of more samples (more concentrations per sample, more test repetitions for statistical robustness, etc.) but it may also decrease the possible number of organisms tested in the same volume. Here, we aimed at reducing the test volumes in the acute daphnia assay (using a maximum of 30 mL for a complete dose-response relationship) without impacting animals' sensitivity towards toxicants. A literature review on existing miniaturisation approaches was used as a starting point. Subsequently, assays employing conventional as well as reduced test volumes were compared for 16 selected test substances with a diverse spectrum of lipophilicity. Results showed that there are differences in EC₅₀ between the two approaches, but that these differences were overall only within a range of a factor of two to three. Further, by retrieving EC₅₀ values for the genus <i>Daphnia</i> and 16 test substances from the United States Environmental Protection Agency database, we demonstrated that our results are well in line with the general differences in sensitivities.</p>","PeriodicalId":75271,"journal":{"name":"UCL open environment","volume":"7 ","pages":"e3037"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11804477/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143384166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A virtual global carbon price is essential to drive rapid decarbonisation.","authors":"Richard H Clarke, Mark A Maslin","doi":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.1983","DOIUrl":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.1983","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dealing with climate change is now an infrastructure challenge. Within the next 30 years our energy generation must switch from fossil fuels to renewables. New buildings need to be zero-carbon and existing buildings need to be retrofitted. Our global transportation network will need to be transformed. Delivering the Net Zero World is an engineering challenge. But to do this we need a globally agreed virtual carbon price so that every single infrastructure project can be assessed in terms of its impact on carbon emissions and thus planetary health. We propose a loss-and-damage-based carbon price that is enhanced or reduced by variable, national impact factors. Carbon intensity weighting would further increase the price's impact.</p>","PeriodicalId":75271,"journal":{"name":"UCL open environment","volume":"6 ","pages":"e1983"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11660317/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142878405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urinary arsenic species and birth outcomes in Tacna, Peru, 2019: a prospective cohort study.","authors":"Diego Fano-Sizgorich, Matthew O Gribble, Cinthya Vásquez-Velásquez, Claudio Ramírez-Atencio, Julio Aguilar, Jeffrey K Wickliffe, Maureen Y Lichtveld, Dana B Barr, Gustavo F Gonzales","doi":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3146","DOIUrl":"10.14324/111.444/ucloe.3146","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Arsenic exposure during pregnancy might affect foetal development. Arsenic metabolism may modulate the potential damage to the fetus. Tacna has the highest arsenic exposure levels in Peru. However, this region also has the highest birth weight in Peru. It is not known if arsenic exposure is affecting maternal-perinatal health in Tacna. This study aimed to evaluate the association between urinary arsenic metabolism and birth outcomes, specifically birth weight and gestational age at birth in Tacna, Peru. A prospective cohort study was conducted, involving 158 pregnant women in Tacna, Peru, during January-November 2019. Participants were enrolled in their second trimester and followed-up until birth. Urine samples were collected in the second and third trimesters. Urine samples were analysed for total arsenic concentration and its species. Generalised estimating equations analysis was used to evaluate the association of interest. Inter-differences in arsenic toxicokinetics, calculated with principal component analysis was included as an interaction term. Analysis was stratified by pregnancy trimester. The median total urinary arsenic concentration was 33.34 μg/L. Inorganic arsenic and dimethylarsinic acid were higher in the second trimester. Dimethylarsinic acid was the predominant component (84.78% of total urinary arsenic). No significant association was found between urinary arsenic exposure and birth weight or gestational age at birth. The association was not affected by arsenic metabolism. Stratified analyses by pregnancy trimester also showed no significant associations. Urinary arsenic was not associated with birth weight, and this null relationship remained unaffected by arsenic toxicokinetic differences reflected in urine.</p>","PeriodicalId":75271,"journal":{"name":"UCL open environment","volume":"6 ","pages":"e3146"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11647210/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142840501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}